Rassie Erasmus has transformed Andre Esterhuizen from a “nearly man” at inside centre into Test rugby’s first true hybrid forward-back, writes MARK KEOHANE.
Writing for the Sunday Times, Keohane says Esterhuizen’s evolution from squad backup to strategic weapon is a triumph of Erasmus’s eye for detail.
“When Erasmus first picked Esterhuizen in 2018, it wasn’t because the Boks needed another crash-ball 12. It was because Erasmus saw qualities most coaches miss in players who don’t fit neatly into defined lanes.”
That vision has paid off. Once seen as Damian de Allende’s understudy, Esterhuizen now moves seamlessly between the midfield and the loose forwards. He has scored three tries in his past three Tests – two of them as a blindside flank – and brought a physical edge that few can match.
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“Erasmus has created something no other team possesses – a genuine Test-level hybrid,” Keohane writes. “Esterhuizen gives the Boks a tactical dimension no other side can replicate, because they simply don’t have a player who can do what he does.”
The man once stuck in the shadows has become the Springboks’ ultimate advantage.
Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images
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